Qualified Labor – March 2017

The Benefits of Certification

By Terryn Rutford, Social Structure Marketing

The Certified Tile Installer (CTI) program run by the Certified Tile Education Foundation (CTEF) encourages installers to test their skills against industry standards. It offers industry members the chance to establish their place among the best and brightest installers. During Total Solutions Plus in

Dirk Sullivan

Palm Desert last October, several NTCA members were interviewed about the benefits of certification.

“It really is a way for me to categorize my installers as well as let them know where they stand,” said Dirk Sullivan, NTCA state ambassador for Oregon and owner of Hawthorne Tile, and State Ambassador. “It helps them want to move forward in the industry and to know what they have to do to get there.”

Martin Brookes

The CTI program leads to better installations and increased wages across the industry. Martin Brookes, with Heritage Marble and Tile in Mill Valley, Calif., and NTCA 2nd Vice president said, “We’ve had great success using the program to elevate workmanship, to elevate the confidence of our guys to do higher-end installations, and higher commitment to the standard of quality of

Brad Denny

work. It’s been really advantageous to Heritage Marble and Tile.”

As the industry rises in reputation and reliability, its members benefit. “The CTI program allows me to offer something to my customers that not everyone else can,” said Brad Denny, NTCA regional director and State Ambassador, and project manager at Nichols Tile & Terrazzo Co. Inc., Joelton, Tenn.

Erin Albrecht

In addition to being a benefit to the installer, the CTI program is a boon to the installation company. “We’ve been located by people across the country using the database through the CTEF and NTCA websites,” said Erin Albrecht, chief operations officer of J&R Tile in San Antonio, Texas. And every year the construction industry is recognizing certification as more important.

James Woelfel

Artcraft Granite, Marble & Tile Co. saw a huge financial benefit after receiving a request for certified installers. “Five years ago we had an owner call us and say, we’re looking for CTEF-certified installers and we can’t find anyone who knows what they’re doing,” said James Woelfel, Artcraft vice president and NTCA chairman of the board. “It generated at least a billion dollars worth of work over the last six years,” he said.

Overall, certification raises the industry standard and encourages quality installation. “I think what we have seen is a different culture of

Kevin Fox

professionalism in the trade,” said Kevin Fox, president and owner of Fox Ceramic Tile, Inc., in St. Marys, Kan., and chairman of the NTCA Methods and Standards Committee. “It took us a while to get a buy in on it. We have a lot of installers that have been doing [installation] for 20 to 30 years, so it took me a while to convince them to validate their skills. We need those skills validated as a company as we’re talking to general contractors, especially those who aren’t familiar with us. And we also need it validated for even repeat customers that are looking for clients that will provide a consistent product.”

Martin Howard

The tile industry is moving toward certification as a standard. Martin Howard of David Allen Company in Raleigh, N.C., and current NTCA president observed, “It really does set you apart from your competitors and it also validates your skill and it validates the knowledge that you have and the hard work you’ve put in to get where you are.” The more installers who are certified the better off the industry is as a whole.

Jan Hohn

Jan Hohn of Hohn & Hohn, Inc., in St. Paul, Minn., said, “It was a selling point I could talk to general contractors about, to architects, and designers to let them know we had passed a national test and it said we were qualified to install tile.” As more contractors, architects, and designers recognize certification as evidence of quality installers, certification will become ever more important to the industry and its members.

For more information, visit https://www.ceramictilefoundation.org/certified-tile-installer-cti-program.

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